04 November 2015•Update: 06 November 2015
By Parach Mach
Juba, South Sudan
South Sudan has sought assistance from the United Nations mission in the country to help remove the black box from the debris of a Russian-origin cargo aircraft that crashed and killed dozens of people Wednesday.
Juba International Airport Director Brig. Gen. Kuol Koul Ajieu confirmed Thursday that the UN mission had been approached, adding that only once the black box had been recovered that investigators could say for sure whether the plane went down due to an accident or some other event.
“When we get the black box and other information, we will be able to identify the cause of the accident,” Dr. Stephen Warikozi, chief executive officer of the local Civil Aviation Authority, also said by phone.
While all possibilities are on the table, some believe the aircraft was overloaded with people, which may have contributed to the crash.
"The cause of plane crash is still being studied, but the probable cause could be technical failure unless it is established," Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said.
Meanwhile, South Sudanese aviation authority confirmed that the dead included foreign crew members, including five Armenians and a Russian. The rest of the people who died were all South Sudanese.
Also, the death toll has also risen. "One of the two people rescued from the wreckage died later in the hospital," director general of Juba teaching hospital, Dr. John Chol, said, adding that the toll was now 36.
